Sexualistation of Young People

Sexualisation of Young People Review
10
is everywhere and, often, children
and young people are accessing it
alone, in a setting that gives them
no opportunity to ask questions or
discuss their feelings.
22. Parents are a powerful force in shaping
their children’s attitudes to gender
and sexuality and have a vital role
to play in supporting their children
to cope with and contextualise
sexualised images and messages.
However, parents can also contribute
to the sexualisation of their children
in very direct ways. For example, by
reinforcing self-objectification through
encouraging or supporting the use of
cosmetic surgery as a means of ‘fixing’
poor body confidence or self-esteem
– a phenomenon that is increasing at
an alarming rate. 36
23. Schools can help children develop
the capacity to interpret and filter
information and to recognise and
value diversity. As such perhaps we
need to consider the value of media
literacy and gender studies and begin
to see them as core to the curriculum
we teach our children. Sex education,
too, must focus on preparing young
people to form healthy, respectful,
emotionally fulfilling relationships.
24. Businesses must also play their part
here. There have been numerous
reports over the past few years
of how major high street retailers
have promoted, and then on second
thought withdrawn, clothing, games
and products for children that are
undoubtedly age inappropriate. There
is a clear role here for government
to support and promote corporate
responsibility.
36 www.cosmeticsurgerybible.com/2007/typesof-surgery/breast-enlargement/breast-implantslinked-to-suicide-risk/105
The impact of
sexualisation
Body image and gender
inequality
25. In the past it was adult women who
felt the imperative to look ‘hot’ and
‘sexy’, now this imperative is being
adopted by younger and younger
girls who will inevitably face the same
feelings of inadequacy and failure to
live up to an unrealistic ideal. The
mass media promotes and reinforces
an idealised notion of beauty for
both men and women, presenting
standards – of thinness for women
and of muscularity for men – that few
can ever hope to achieve. The effects
of this are apparent – eating disorders
are on the rise. The eating disorder
charity BEAT estimates that 1.6 million
people in the UK have an eating
disorder. The vast majority of these
– some 1.4 million – are female. 37
And now we’re starting to see what
happens when you tweak the message
– young women need to be not
only thin, but also sexually desirable.
As anorexia increases so now does
the number of young women having
breast implants at an increasingly
younger age. 38
26. It can be tempting to think that
girls are taking the brunt, that boys
have it easier. But in some ways, the
messages we are sending out to boys
are just as limiting and restrictive: be
macho, be strong, don’t show your
emotions. Hyper-sexualisation of
femininity cannot exist without hypermasculinisation
of males. They feed off
and reinforce each other.
37 www.b-eat.co.uk/PressMediaInformation#iHn0
38 Zuckerman and Abraham (2008)